Week 28 - Icelandic Lamb Stew

Can you think of a better way to escape the long hot days of summer than to head to Iceland? That’s exactly what I had the opportunity to do last month! Kathcooks4u was requested to be the chef for a travel group with Forventuretravel.com and to prepare Icelandic themed dishes. So, I said good bye to the humid summer days in Florida and hello to Iceland’s 40 - 50 degree days, cold glacier-fed rivers, beautiful scenery, the famous Blue Lagoon Hot spring (and I even got to cheer on Iceland during the World Cup with the locals in Reykjavik!)

During the 240 hours of continual daylight (the sun never set!) I was able to visit local markets and prepare a traditional Icelandic Lamb and Barley Stew in the kitchen of one of Iceland’s famous chef’s, Volundur Volundarson. I’ve never cooked Lamb Stew before and the aromas of this traditional Icelandic lamb dish were to die for! I hope you enjoy the video!

The lamb in Iceland is free range. They roam the countryside and hills freely. Healthy and fresh are the first thing that comes to mind when preparing this dish.

The Recipe......

1 lb Lamb Stew Meat (cut up bits and pieces, beef stew meat can be substituted)

2 -4 carrots (depending on size and if you like lots of carrots)

1/2 onion chopped

1 rib celery

1/2 cup barley

2 - 3 potatoes

6-8 cups chicken stock (more for adjusting later on to get to desired thickness)

Salt

Pepper

Fresh Garlic or powdered

Brown Lamb in a hot pan. Add 1 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, and 1/2 t powdered garlic or 1 to 2 cloves. Stir and brown both sides. Add onion and celery for last couple minutes. I didn't do this in video. You will get better flavor from your onions if you brown them first. But no big deal if you don't.

Add lamb mixture to stock pot and add remaining ingredients with 6 - 8 cups stock. Barley really thickens a soup so you may need to add more stock. The next day the soup will need more stock for sure.

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3 hours. Stirring regularly. Adjusting flavors with salt, pepper, soup base, or more stock.

Serve with Bread and Butter

Serves approx 4 - 6

Iceland World Cup